User blog:Leolab/Ancient User Tourney, Round 6: Jacob Bauer (BG) v Ganzorig (Wass)
Credit to Al Elamein for the title card Jacob Bauer: The elderly Landsknecht who fights for fortune versus Ganzorig of the Chagatai Kahnate: The bastard son of a Kahn who fights for conquest Jacob Bauer (BG) Bio Born as the only child of a Tyrolean knight and his mistress from the Rhineland in the 1480s, Bauer was a person who grew up during a time of nobility supplemented by the passions of war. Not much is known of his early childhood but all we know of his military experience started when he joined his father as a squire during the HRE Invasion of Italy in 1496 and the Swabian War of 1499 (where his father was killed). After the Swabian War, Bauer trained under Georg von Frundsberg and saw combat with him and the landsknecht regime overall during the subsequent War of the League of Cambrai - where he got his facial burn scar owing to a gunpowder mine explosion in the ill-fated Siege of Padua as well as the honorific nickname "Spada il Fuoco" (Sword of Fire) for his illustrious strength and prowess with his zweihander. After his skirmishes in Italy and a break back in his Rhenish estates building up his intellect, martial prowess and Christian spirituality, he fought in most of the conflicts that the Holy Roman Empire were tangled up in - especially in Eastern Europe where his "Spada il Fuoco" nickname was used as patriotic propaganda for the Hasburgs (even during the battles that the Ottomans won). The only defining characteristics of Bauer that have been persistent throughout his whole career is his dedication to the art of war which he sees as a continuation of his father's martial legacy; and his sometimes uncontrollable urge for cash - especially considering that when the Polish were unable to pay him back for his services, he subsequently began looting dead French soldiers and abandoned Italian abodes during the 1521-1526 conflict as compensation (racking up a total of $1.25million before remanding it to the Emperor personally and atoning for his sins in jail for several weeks). Inital Weaponset (Mid Range) Zweihander. Standard sword of the Landsknecht Doppelsodners and a weapon that Bauer has had extensive training with to the point that it is one of his favourite weapons to use in combat. Weighs 6lb and is 5.5ft long. Other Weapons & Armor |-| Short Range = War hammer. Standard medieval war hammer with a clawed spike opposite the hammer head. About 2ft long. Light enough to be carried around with one hand but heavy enough to still pack one heck of a punch. |-| Long Range = Recurve Crossbow. Although Bauer had the option of using the steel arbalest as a ranged weapon when he entered into the Landsknecht, he opted instead to use the crossbow for its lighter weight. Bauer later had the weapon fashioned so it has a recurved head for a greater draw length and thus more power when it fired its round. The crossbow bolts fired by this weapon are your typical steel bolts. |-| Special = Katzbalger. Although it is the signature blade of the Landsknecht, Bauer likes to use this sword as a last resort. It weighs about 0.8kg and is 70cm long. |-| Armor = Steel-made munition half-armour as worn by the Landsknecht of the 16th century that covered his chest and the upper portions of his arms and legs. Ganzorig of the Chagatai Khante (Wass) Bio As the resulting birth of an illigitimate but by all accounts enjoyable romp between the son of a khan and a lowly shepards daughter Ganzorig had an interesting parentage. While the nature of his existance was kept out of any official records his mother's father was paid off handsomly and while they were still poor they lived at least more comfortably than other families. Ganzorig grew up oblivious to all of this however and spent his days like any other child in the arid deserts of the Chagatai Khanate until on his 16th birthday he was drafted into military service and sent with Baidar (unbeknownst to him his step brother) to the Mongols invasion of Europe where he served until the death of Ogedei Khan in 1241. Initial Weaponset (Long) Mongol Composite Bow. Ganzorig's most beloved and prized possession and his favoured weapon. Made with a wooden core, bamboo bending limb, buffalo horn glued to the belly for increased energy compression, sinew of a wild buck and carefully dried for months to harden the bow for use. Ganzorig also carries with him a leather thumb ring for protection and a quiver of 10 steel tipped arrows with a ground quiver for easy storage. Other Weapons & Armor |-| Short Range = Persian Scimitar. Brought from a arabic merchent on his 16th birthday it is a fairly standard steel scimitar, 33 inches long with a small eagle crested pommel. |-| Mid Range = Guan Dao. Not much to say really, just a standard Guan Dao with a tassle cloth on the joining between the blade and the staff. |-| Special = Iron Flanged Mace. A 3 foot long steel mace weighing about 5 pounds. |-| Armor = Leather/Iron Lamellar. Made from rawhide leather and hardened iron plates on a fabric backing. Ganzorig also wears a silk vest which helps to reduce the damage caused by arrow shots as the silk does not break, rather embedding in the wound for an easy removal. Notes Battle Notes *Arena is a 20m diameter circle, grassy soil footing, no cover *All warriors will start out with their Initial Weaponset equipped, along with their armor. **Their other weapons are placed sheathed/unloaded/unset/etc. next to their point of entry into the arena. *The match is to the death. *Brackets and other tourney information may be found here. **Note that vote scores are doubled, since Challnonge doesn't accept half-points. *'Note that the pictures are' not meant to be exact representations of the equipment. They're just generic images I found on the wiki. Voting Notes *Votes with good edges or at least 10 relevant sentences count as a full vote *Votes with meh edges or at least 5 relevant sentences count as a half vote *All others count as no vote *Well-reasoned rebuttals can lower the count of a vote by half. *Well-reasoned counter-rebuttals can restore the half-point. *The users whose characters are fighting may not vote for or against themselves, but may defend their warriors by giving rebuttals and counter-rebuttals *I have the final say in how much a vote counts for. If I feel a vote merits counting differently than these guidelines, I will do so. *Due to voter concerns regarding his rebuttal spree on a previous match, El Alamein is only allowed to defend his own vote. *Voting ends at some point on 6/24/2016 Battle Gaius Leopold sat in the stands, watching as the next two combatants walked out. Hirai Norio sat next to him, also examining the two. Both had grim expressions on their faces; each had seen a foe they had killed rise from the grave to do battle again, and knew the same fate awaited them should they fall. He stole another glance at the short, black-eyed man sitting on the bench to the right. The corpse collector seemed composed, studying the stances of the two before him. A red-robed figure in a green mask stepped up to a contraption and started to speak. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the figure says, “the sixth match is Jacob Bauer, the Landsknecht known as Spada il Fuoco, sponsored by BG, against Ganzorig of the Chagatai Kahnate, sponsored by Wass. Just like the last match, this is part of the Loser’s Bracket. All deaths are final! Ready…” At that cue, Bauer took a combat stance with his Zweihander while Ganzorig held his bow in front of him as his hand rested on an arrow. “Fight!” As the match started, Bauer charged. He knew he had to get in range to do anything, and fast. Ganzorig drew and fired an arrow as he moved, which glanced off his armor. Another arrow grazed his armpit, prompting a murmur from the announcer in the stands. Bauer, however, continued to charge, ignoring the scratch. He swung his Zweihänder in an arc, but Ganzorig bent at the waist while drawing an arrow with his upper body. He blind-fired his third arrow at Ganzorig, who was already preparing for another swing. The arrow grazed the man, and he took an instinctive half-step back, which gave Ganzorig the time to drop his bow and grab his Guan Dao. The Mongol moved around him and brought the spear in a slash as he turned to follow. A quick motion of the zweihänder deflected the blow, but Ganzorig continued his flurries. Bauer had no reprieve as Ganzorig rained down blows, and he moved his zweihänder in a desperate attempt to parry the blows. He finally gained some room as Ganzorig made a retreat before he crouched and charged back in, Guan Dao poised for a thrust. Bauer made a swift diagonal cut, which impacted the Guan Dao just past the join. The wood splintered, and when Ganzorig struck with a stab the shaft splintered. Ganzorig dropped the now-headless spear and rode the momentum forward, smoothly dodging Bauer’s follow-up stroke. The Mongol grabbed his mace and slammed it into Bauer’s side as he turned. Bauer moved to get room, and nearly slipped on the blood from his wound. That motion saved him, as Ganzorig’s mace swiped right past where his head would have been. The Landsknecht continued trying to get distance as he held his zweihänder in an awkward defensive posture. Ganzorig kept on charging, and swung his mace left, right, and center as he did so. Bauer continued to back up as he tried desperately to regain momentum. Ganzorig refused to let him and pressed his advantage. Bauer realized he wouldn’t be able to regain momentum as is, so he took an opening to push the flat of his zweihänder forward in a strike. It struck, and Ganzorig was force back a couple steps. Bauer tossed his zweihänder aside and ran back to his weapons. In the few seconds he had, he grabbed his Katzbalger and swiped at his foe. Bauer, however, noticed his movements growing sluggish. He was feeling oddly exhausted, and his foe had stepped back. He teetered and fell, blood pooling out at his feet. He looks at his side, and realizes too late that he had been killed once the match started. The arrow that grazed his armpit had nicked his brachial artery. His last strength flowed out with the blood, and he closed his eyes. Ganzorig looked at his dead opponent with mild surprise; he hadn’t expected the old man to last for so long with that wound. As the corpse collector came for his foe, he turned and walked back out the now-open doorway. Weapon Stats Category:Blog posts